London, United Kingdom – November 15, 2011
Nokia Siemens Networks to deliver live 4G network in London for O2 trial
LTE network to test ultra high-speed mobile broadband services across capital
Nokia Siemens Networks is working with O2 to provide LTE* (Long Term Evolution) services on a trial** basis to select users in London. LTE is a fourth generation (4G) mobile technology that can provide uninterrupted broadband access to bandwidth-hungry applications, including peak data speeds of up to 150 megabits per second (Mbps). Nokia Siemens Networks is the sole supplier of the LTE core network and up to 25 LTE base station sites. Select users in The O2, a world-class entertainment complex, will also enjoy LTE services.
“This LTE trial is in line with our constant efforts to deliver the best possible user experience, and comes soon after Ofcom countrywide tests showed O2’s mobile broadband network ranked first in terms of mobile speed***,” said Rob Joyce, head of LTE for O2. “As data use increases exponentially, LTE technology with its higher data rates, better network capacity and low latency will play a crucial role, and we’re pleased to be working with Nokia Siemens Networks to deploy this technology.”
“We are committed to driving the adoption of LTE technology globally, and are working with O2 to drive it in the UK to demonstrate its true potential,” added Rob Stent, head of the Telefónica UK customer team for Nokia Siemens Networks. “We are applying our solution expertise and project management experience from successful LTE commercial networks and trials across the globe to enable O2’s vision of providing a superior customer experience with ultra high-speed broadband services.”
Under the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will provide its 2600MHz LTE radio equipment, Evolved Packet Core technology****, Home Subscriber Server and FlexiPacket Microwave Radio nodes. The company will also provide comprehensive managed services, including network design and planning, deployment and optimization services as well as full care support for the LTE trial network. Nokia Siemens Networks’ NetAct operations support system will enable effective monitoring and management of the network.
About O2
- Telefónica UK Limited is a leading communications company for consumers and businesses in the UK, with over 22 million mobile customers and over 700,000 fixed broadband customers, as at 30 June 2011.
- Telefónica UK Limited is part of Telefónica Europe plc, a business division of Telefónica S.A. which uses O2 as its commercial brand in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic, and has 57.3 million customers across these markets.
- O2 is the naming rights partner of The O2, the world-class entertainment venue.
- O2 employs around 11,000 people in the UK and has 450 retail stores.
- In October 2010 O2 was voted the UK’s best mobile network by the readers of both What Mobile and Mobile Choice magazine.
- O2 was ranked highest in customer satisfaction for both UK mobile and fixed broadband customers according to the J.D. Power and Associates UK Mobile and Fixed Broadband Studies 2010.
- O2’s UK 2G mobile network provides voice and data services which are available to 99% of the UK’s population.
- O2’s UK 3G (HSPA+ 900 / 2100 MHz) network currently provides voice and high speed data services of up to 14.4Mbps (21Mbps in the coming months) which are available to over 84% of the UK population.
- O2 was the first UK operator to deploy a 4G/LTE trial network which has demonstrated peak speeds of over 100Mbps to a mobile device.
- Telefónica Europe also owns 50% of Tesco Mobile, which operates in the UK and Ireland, and 50% of Tchibo Mobilfunk in Germany.
- For further press information about O2 go to www.o2.co.uk/news
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Talk about Nokia Siemens Networks’ news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.com and find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at www.connectivityscorecard.org
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O2
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E-mail: pressoffice@o2.com
*Nokia Siemens Networks is leading the commercialization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) in terms of commercial references and live network performance. LTE is the next-generation mobile broadband technology and the evolutionary step from GSM, WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, CDMA and WiMAX networks. It delivers the best broadband user experience and smart device services in an efficient way due to increased data rates, reduced latency and scalable flat all-IP network architecture. Nokia Siemens Networks has shipped its LTE ready Flexi Multiradio Base Station to over 200 operators. In addition, it was the first to make an LTE call using commercial hardware and standards-compliant software in 2009.
According to the latest information available, 35 commercial LTE networks are launched to date and 16 out of these 35 networks use Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE equipment.
Among Nokia Siemens Networks’ 46 commercial LTE deals are Azerfon in Azerbaijan (radio); Bell Canada (radio); Deutsche Telekom in Germany (radio); Du in United Arab Emirates (radio); Elisa Finland and Elisa Estonia (radio, EPC); KDDI in Japan (radio); LG U+ in South Korea (radio); LightSquared national LTE network in USA (EPC); Mobily (Etisalat) in Saudi Arabia (TD-LTE radio, EPC); Mosaic Telecom in USA (radio, EPC); NTT DOCOMO in Japan (radio, EPC); SK Telecom in South Korea (radio); STC (Saudi Telecom Company) in Saudi Arabia (TD-LTE radio); Tele2 in Sweden (EPC); Telecom Italia (radio); Telefónica O2 in Germany (radio); Telenor Denmark (radio); Telia in Sweden; TeliaSonera in Denmark and Finland, EMT (TeliaSonera) in Estonia (radio) and LMT (TeliaSonera) in Latvia (radio, EPC); TMN Portugal (radio and EPC); Verizon Wireless in USA (IMS for LTE) and Zain Bahrain (radio, EPC).
An LTE performance drive test by Signals Research Group on a Swedish commercial live LTE network confirmed that the overall results achieved in the Gothenburg network (supplied by Nokia Siemens Networks) were better than those achieved in the Stockholm network (supplied by another vendor). For more information about the performance of Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE offering, please refer to an independent report from Signals Research called ’Signals Ahead LTE Drive Test Revisited – Part 1’, which is available here or on the Nokia Siemens Networks internet page.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ Single RAN including the Flexi Multiradio Base Station provides a future-proof, easy and cost-efficient path to LTE in both FDD and TDD spectrum bands via a simple software upgrade. Besides the Single RAN that supports GSM, 3G, FDD-LTE and TD-LTE, the company’s LTE telecom infrastructure offering also features the Evolved Packet Core, including Flexi NS (Network Server) and Flexi NG (Network Gateway), transport solutions, network management system, Self Organizing Networks (SON), the award-winning Voice over LTE (VoLTE), provisioning and charging solutions and a range of professional services to plan, install, maintain and operate networks. For more information, click here.
**The trial network is running under a special frequency license. Spectrum auction for LTE rollout in the UK is expected to happen in 2012.
***Ofcom, UK’s telecom regulator conducted its first comprehensive test of mobile broadband speeds in the country between September and December 2010. In the test, O2 topped the test results with network speeds of 2.5-3 Mbps on an average, beating four other operators, Vodafone, 3 UK, T-Mobile and Orange.
****Evolved Packet Core is part of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Liquid Core architecture: Part of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Liquid Net, Liquid Core decouples hardware and software and adds intelligent software applications that enable the core network to adapt and optimize to meet the fluid needs of subscribers, the services they use and the operational state of the network itself.
Through core virtualization, any core software application can run on COTS ATCA and ultimately other generic multi-purpose hardware. Costs are reduced by re-using existing hardware. In addition, it is possible to reduce floor space by up to 80%, and energy costs can be up to 65% lower, with future improvements expected. Furthermore, intelligent broadband management delivers the best customer experience at the lowest cost, end-to-end across all network domains.
